Q: Can you talk about the history of Bag of Faces? What is the musical background of the two members?

A: We played in junior high and high school band with Pumpy on percussion and The Professor on trumpet. During high school, we were bitten by the rock n’ roll bug and played in rock bands with Pumpy on drums and The Professor on guitar and vocals. After high school, we both secured music scholarships and continued our formal music education in college, playing in rock bands when we weren’t in the classroom. We didn't actually meet until the early ’90s and played in a rock band, touring the Southeastern U.S. extensively for several years. After many years apart, we reconnected in 2014 forming Bag of Faces.

Q: Your album New Kings In Town was recorded remotely. What was the creative process like working in different geographic areas?

A: We collaborated over the phone and Internet throughout the entire process. We did a lot of talking over the phone with a lot of song ideas coming from those conversations. We would record our ideas and send them back and forth to each other, adding our parts as we went. Some songs were actually written over the phone! The mixing process was similar. Mixes were sent back and forth, tweaking until each song was done.

Q: Can you talk about some of the themes and concepts that run through the album?

A: “We’re All In This Together” deals with the unity of the human race. Even though we all live separate lives, it’s all intertwined, with everything affecting everything. “Why Do You Do What You Do?” deals with our motivations for our actions. “Had Enough” deals with frustration - personal relationships, work, media and global events. “Powerlines” deals with the dichotomy between self observation and other people’s perceptions. “You Say You’re Gone” deals with breaking up - reminiscing about the good and bad times and ultimately feeling the emptiness of being alone. “Cat Gang” is about a cat that was rescued from the wild as a kitten, lived the good life as a house cat and ran away from home to join a cat gang named The Dog Haters...shit happens! “Don’t Mess Around With Voodoo” deals with temptation - knowing what’s bad for you and trying to stay away from it - drugs, alcohol, toxic relationships, runaway ego head trips. “Inside” deals with battling self destruction - knowing your life has a purpose and trying to achieve it without going off the rails. “The New King’s In Town” deals with transformation - of kingdoms, overcoming personal obstacles, spiritual awakening.

Q: This seems to be a recording project but is there any consideration for playing live?

A: Considering that there are only the two of us that really connect on a deep level with the same vision, and the fact of geographic separation, playing live is not really on the table at this time.

Q: New Kings In Town was a bit of a throwback for me to my younger years. What was some of the influence for the music?

A: We definitely have our deepest musical roots in rock n’ roll - everything from the ’60s to current. New Kings In Town is actually the heavier half of a dual album release. The other album About Face shows our more alternative side.

Q: Is New Kings in Town a one off project or can we expect more from Bag of Faces?

A: As mentioned in the previous question, our debut release consisted of two albums. To check out our alternative side go to https://bagoffaces.bandcamp.com/album/about-face. We’re constantly writing and recording so you can definitely expect more from Bag of Faces.